Apparatus for cervico-dorsal re-education in sitting position

ABSTRACT

APPARATUS FOR CERVICO-DORSAL RE-EDUCATION IN SITTING POSITION INCLUDING A TUBULAR CHAIR FITTED WITH A BOTTOM AND A BACK AT RIGHT ANGLE IN WHICH THE BACK IS EQUIPPED WITH A MOBILE ALTERNATE SIDE TRAVEL DEVICE SLIDING IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE BACK, SAID DEVICE UNDER THE STRESS OF A WEIGHT WORKING POSITIVELY SO AS TO ENABLE THE PATIENT TO OPERATE SAID DEVICE, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF A HEAD-HOLDER, ACCORDING TO A DOUBLE-ACTING DYNAMIC EFFECT.

I March 2, 1971 4 c. HERBERT APPARATUS FOR CERVICO-DORSAL RE'EDUCATION V IN SITTING POSITION Filed Nov. 15, 1968 I C.HERBERT Marqh 2, 1971 I APPARATUS FOR-CERVICO-DORSAL RE-EDUCATION IN SITTING POSITION 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Ndv. 15. v 1968 'f March 2, 1971 c. HERBERT 3,567,283

APPARATUS FOR CERVICO-DORSAL RBI-EDUCATION IN SITTING POSITION 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed NOV. 15, 1968 United States Patent 3,567,283 APPARATUS FOR CERVICO-DORSAL RE-EDUCA- TION IN SITTING POSITION Charles Hebert, 15 Place dAllier, Moulins, France Filed Nov. 15, 1968, Ser. No. 776,064 Claims priority, application France, Dec. 1, 1967,

Int. Cl. A47c 7/361 7/42; A61h 1/02 US. Cl. 297-410 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for cervico-dorsal re-education in sitting position including a tubular chair fitted with a bottom and a back at right angle in which the back is equipped with a mobile alternate side travel device sliding in a plane perpendicular to the back, said device under the stress of a weight working positively so as to enable the patient to operate said device, with the assistance of a head-holder, according to a double-acting dynamic effect.

The object of the invention is an apparatus intended for cervico-dorsal re-education in sitting position including a tubular chair fitted with a bottom and a back at right angle, in which the back of the chair is equipped with a mobile alternate side travel device sliding in a plane perpendicular to the back, said device being under the stress of a weight working positively so to to enable the patient to operate said device, with the assistance of a head-holder, according to a double-acting dynamic effect.

An example of the designing of an apparatus according to the invention is shown on the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the apparatus.

The apparatus is made up of an arm-chair 1 of any shape and material in which the seat 2 is at right angle with back 3 and seat 2 is also at right angle with the plane formed with front feet 1 Rear feet 1 are bent backwards in this instance so as to bring the centre of gravity of the whole apparatus in the plane of support. The seat, of any shape and material, is fastened on the arm-chair as well as the back. A footrest is placed at the lower front part of the plane formed by the front feet 1 of the arm-chair. The foot-rest is adjustable in height by means of a hooking device according to the length of the patients legs.

Foot-rest 4 set at a right angle with the plane of front feet 1 enables to obtain, depending on its adjustment, a cyphosis effect on the lumbar vertebral segment during the operation.

A bracket is fitted with a re-education device; said bracket is made of two vertical hollow tubes forming one piece with the arm-chair. Both tubes are provided with a milled screw 6 used for the adjustment in height of the re-education device.

The device is fitted in the vertical hollow tubes by means of two solid rod racks 7 the sliding of which allows adjustment in height. Solid rods 7 both hold at their upper ends a hollow tube 8. These hollow tubes 8- forms the lateral sides of a rigid quadrilateral having on its front side a rigid bar 9 and, on its rear side another rigid bar 10 intended to ensure constant equidistance between tubes 8.

In both hollow tubes 8 slides a solid rod 11 the tips of which are threaded and serve as attachment by means of nuts to two rigid blades, the first at the front part, 12 the second at the rear part 12, so as to form a rigid frame. The unit which receives the propulsive force from "ice the nape is welded on front bar 12 in its middle part. Said unit is made of a hollow tube 13 set horizontally on which is fitted a milled screw 14 for adjustment purpose. Hollow tube 13 houses a rod 15 adjustable by means of a rack, said rod being equipped at its front part with a head-holder 16 having a round or other shape in order to fit the external occipital curve of the patient.

Locking of the device after forward or backward adjustment of the head-holder is made by using milled screw 14. The device which slides in tubes 8 is fitted with antishock blocks 17, of any shape or any material, in its front and rear abutment.

On bar 9 of the non-sliding quadrilateral is mounted a counter-motion pulley 18 around which passes a wire 19 ended by an adjustment chain connecting the rear part 12 of the sliding quadrilateral to a terminal ring 21 of the wire for the hooking of the weight not shown.

A switch 22 is fitted on the seat of the arm-chair which allows remote control of a light signal set in front of the patient, as well as of an impulse recorder indicating the number of movements made. The light signal can be replaced by a sound or tactile signal, depending on the patients. The device allows the patient to be informed on the full execution of his movement and the practitioner to record the number of movements executed.

An abdominal strap hooking device 23 is especially designed to prevent the patient from: slipping forward during the effort and also to maintain at the highest level the lumbar cyphosis action static. Shoulders can be held against the arm-chair back by using straps fastened to the vertical pillars of the arm-chair back. Thus, the patient while sitting on the arm-chair in the optimum position to avoid compensations, executes in the double chin cervical static a thrust on head-holder 16, by contracting his cervico-dorsal muscles. This constant thrust allows the sliding quadrilateral 11 to travel horizontally from the front to the rear and, as a consequence, it also allows the lifting of the weight hooked to ring 21. The light signal informs the patient each time a movement is correctly executed.

Front abutment 17 of sliding quadrilateral 11 is in contact with front bar 9 of the rigid quadrilateral.

In a second stage of the movement, the quadrilateral 11 slides back to the initial position, under the action of the weight hooked on ring 21, by a translation movement from back to front. During this movement, the patient executes a braking by acting on his cervico-dorsal muscles so as to prevent a quick return of the sliding quadrilateral, the latter being stopped by its rear abutment on the rigid quadrilateral.

The apparatus is adjustable in height with the solid rod rack 7, according to the length of the patients trunk;

this enables the lifting of the whole of rigid and mobile quadrilaterals. Locking of the adjustment is made with milled screw 6.

The length of the wire must be adjusted by means of the small chain at its hooking point 24- which is situated on rear bar 12 of the sliding quadrilateral. This adjustment allows proper working of switch 22 at the end of the front to back stroke, whatever the length of the patient is. The stroke of the sliding quadrilateral has a constant amplitude during all the movements of translation of the sliding unit. The motion of the cervicodorsal column of the patient is controlled according as as muscular contraction of internal amplitude, medium or external, is desired, by the adjustment of head-holder 16 and of sliding rod rack 15. Locking of the adjustment is obtained with milled screw 14.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for dynamic cervico-dorsal re-education for use by a patient in a sitting position comprising a chair having a chair seat and a chair back, said back including support means for a mobile quadrilateral device having head rest means adjacent one end thereof adapted to engage the back of the said patients head, said support means coacting in a sliding relationship with said quadrilateral device permitting reciprocating movement thereof in a plane substantially perpendicular to said back, said movement being caused by the application pressure to said head rest means by movement of said patients head to move said quadrilateral device in a first direction, and said pressure being resisted by weight means operatively connected to said quadrilateral device to resist displacement thereof and to determine the effort necessary to displace said quadrilateral device.

2. An apparatus for dynamic re-education of the cervico-dorsal muscle as set forth in claim 1, wherein said movement of said quadrilateral device includes movement in a second direction towards the patient, said movement being caused by said weight means as a result of said firstmentioned displacement of said quadrilateral, and said movement being resisted by the patient as he applied pressure to said head rest means.

3. An apparatus for dynamic re-education of the cervico-dorsal muscles as set fotrh in claim 1, wherein said seat lies in a substantially horizontal plane and said back lies in a substantially vertical plane.

4. An apparatus for dynamic re-education of the cervico-dorsal muscles as set forth in claim 1, wherein said weight means includes a flexible member fixed to an end of said quadrilateral device oppositely disposed from said head rest means and horizontally extending to a pulley connected to said support means, said flexible member extending over said pulley and vertically downwardly to a weight, said weight being secured to said flexible member by means of a coupling ring.

5. An apparatus for dynamic re-education of the cervico-dorsal muscles as set forth in claim 1, wherein said support means includes adjustment means for vertically positioning said support means with respect to said seat portion comprising vertical guide tubes integrally connected to said back portion and adapted to receive associated toothed racks, said racks being vertically adjustable within said guide tubes.

6. An apparatus for dynamic re-education of the cervico-dorsal muscles of a patient comprising a chair having a seat and back support means supported by said chair, a head support being connected to back support means, said support means constraining movement of said head support to a reciprocating stroke movement substantially perpendicular to said back support, traction means including weight means connected to said head support such that contraction of the cervico-dorsal muscles of said patient causes a guiding element of said support means to move in a first direction and such that controlled release of said muscles causes said guiding element to move in a second direction at a rate controlled by the relaxation of said muscles.

7. An apparatus for dynamic re-education of the cervico-dorsal muscles according to claim 6 wherein said head support means is adapted to engage the occipital bone curve of the head of said patient and said back support is adapted to engage the back of the patient, whereby movement of the position of the occipital bone relative to the back of the patient activates means causing longitudinal movement of the head support.

8. An apparatus for dynamic re-education of the cervico-dorsal muscles according to claim 7 wherein said back support is a chair back wherein said support means includes a quadrilateral device having a pair of spaced tubular members, said head support means having rods slidable in said tubular members and being connected to a yoke on which a head rest of said head support means is positioned, said yoke being attached to connecting means being adapted to carry a predetermined weight.

9. An apparatus for dynamic re-education of the cervico-dorsal muscles according to claim 8 wherein is provided means for adjusting the relationship of position of said head rest to the chair back to accommodate patients of varying proportions, and wherein resilient stop means are provided for each of said rods to prevent uncushioned stops of said rods when said rods have been moved to the ends of their reciprocating stroke.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 527,056 10/1894 Gilson 297 -40sx 1,731,709 10/1929 Cropsey 297 417x 2,591,911 4/1952 Block 297-3s4x 2,619,157 11/1952 Guyton etal. 297 3s4x 3,179,360 4/1965 Shelton et a1. 297 3s4x CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

mg J UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 5,567,283 Dated March 2, 1971 Inventofls) Charles Hebert It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On each sheet of drawings, correct the spelling of the inventor s name from "Herbert" to Hebert Column 1, Line 17, insert being after the words "said device".

Column 1, Line 24, change "for' to to Column 2, Line 65, change "as" to a Claim 3, Line 2, change "fotrh' to forth Signed and sealed this 6th day of July 1 971 (SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER,

EDWARD M.FIETCHER,JR.

Commissioner of Peter Attesting Officer 

